In the winter of the year before last Magti GSM’s New Year programme was in the process of preparation. Passers-by were stopped in the street and asked what they thought of Magti GSM’s advertisements:

“Which commercial did you like?”

“Whose performance did you enjoy most?”

Most people answered: “I liked the photographer; Abesalom Loria is the actor, isn’t he?”

The commercial clip was filmed in a famous photographer’s studio located at 3 Belinski Street, Tbilisi. The staid, grey-haired photographer Rachik Ter-Grigorian has been taking photos of prominent actors, sportsmen, politicians and ordinary citizens for 54 years.

In the clip Abesalom Loria was supposed to play the role of a photographer. Rachik Ter-Grigorian very seriously explained to Batoni Abesalom how to stand behind the camera, how to adjust the lens or lighting. To cut a long story short, the two professionals understood each other very well.

Abesalom Loria:  “In general, I am a supporter of advertisements but they should be made professionally. I like Magti GSM’s commercials very much. I am an engineer by profession but I often act too. In the beginning I was a disk jockey of the famous SPI (State Polytechnic Institute) Jazz Band; then my acting career began. I have played in at least 100 films. I only became popular after the film Don’t Grieve! I played in Magti GSM’s ad together with Mamuka. The plot is as follows: the telephone is ringing continuously and it does not allow the photographer to take a photo. In the past Mamuka and myself acted together in Oh this TV, TV, and during the rehearsals he quarreled with me in such a way that everybody believed that he was serious. When I was invited to act in the advertisement, I said to Mamuka: “Look, now I am going to quarrel with you”.

The Photographer’s Studio, as well as Magti GSM’s other advertisements, was made at “Neostudio”. The film was directed by the same Giorgi Ebralidze. It is to their credit that Magti GSM’s ads are always made in good taste; they are smart and professional. The main objective of the scene played in the Photographer’s Studio was to provide the audience with information about Magti GSM’s technical potential in a direct, free and humorous way. A freely performed dialogue, an unexpected end, David Evgenidze’s cheerful music, and the advertisement turned out to be indeed brilliant.

Mamuka Loria:  “Since my childhood, all my photos, regardless their size (3x4 or 5x6), were taken by that photographer. When I first came to the studio he received  me as a client.

“I had already been in two of Magti GSM’s ads, in the Restaurant and Travel Bureau. When  “Neostudio” invited me to play in the third clip, I was very happy, besides, I was to act together with my father. In my childhood, when my father was going to do some shooting, he often used to say, “Come with me, I’ll get you a spot  in the mass scene, so that you could earn some pocket money”. So, I came home and said to Abesalom, “Dad, come with me, I’ll arrange for you to act in an advertisement to earn your living”.  “What wretched times”, exclaimed Abesalom shaking his head, just as he does in the advertisement standing at the camera. You might remember the final scene of the clip, filmed in the airport, when I give my passport to a customs officer (Djemal Maziashvili) where my photo with a mobile telephone is pasted in. The same photo still adorns my passport.

“The Rustaveli Theatre was going on a tour to Israel. While examining my passport at the airport, the customs officer, a lady, was taken aback, then she started to laugh and showed my photo to her friends as well. Everybody was amused and let me through the customs without any problem. Children very often call me in the street “GSM, GSM, ad, ad.”

“It was a great pleasure to work with “Neostudio” staff. They treat you with great consideration and warmth. All your problems are quickly solved and you have a maximum opportunity to realise your potential. You feel appreciation and respect. One may play many roles in the theatre and movies but the television screen still has its special power. In that sense, I owe my popularity to Magti GSM and  “Neostudio”.

N.Z